Qualcomm today announced at the 2012 International CES show that it is collaborating with Microsoft to demonstrate pre-release Windows 8 on Snapdragon S4 processors with LTE connectivity support.

Demonstrated on the AT&T 4G LTE network for the first time, Windows 8 powered by Snapdragon with LTE and 3G/4G wireless support enables the connected standby experience with lower power consumption recently demonstrated by Microsoft, and provides Windows 8-based PCs including tablets, convertibles and notebooks with wireless broadband speeds and advanced connectivity solutions. Demonstrations of pre-release Windows 8 on the Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 reference hardware tablet with LTE were held during Dr. Paul E. Jacobs' opening keynote address earlier today. Jacobs' keynote was part of the Technology and Evolving Countries (TEC) Program, focused on the role mobile technology plays in global innovation and economic growth in consumer electronics.

Snapdragon-enabled Windows 8 PCs, including tablets, convertibles and notebooks, will also be enhanced by Qualcomm's mobile Internet connectivity platform, Gobi, which provides 3G/4G connectivity and integrated LTE world mode support.

Qualcomm wants a piece of the PC market with its Snapdragon S4 chips as the company looks to jump out of its traditional stronghold market of smartphones and tablets, CEO Paul Jacobs said on Tuesday.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips are based on the ARM architecture, and the initial PCs will be based on the upcoming S4 chips, Jacobs said.

Laptops with S4 will include many features that originated in smartphones, such as booting quickly and providing instant cloud access to keep applications and feeds up to date.

The Snapdragon S4 chips will reach devices later this year and include single-, dual- and quad-core processors running at clock speeds between 1.5GHz and 2.5GHz.

The processors are designed to run Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 OS, which will appear in tablets and PCs in the second half of next year.

Hanvon E-reader Features Qualcomm's mirasol Display Technology

Qualcomm Chinese provider of e-reader devices Hanwang Technology Co., Ltd. (Hanvon) also today announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show the Hanvon C18, the thinnest and lightest e-reader to incorporate mirasol display technology to date. The Hanvon-branded device, revealed by Qualcomm Chairman and CEO Dr. Paul Jacobs during his opening day CES keynote, features a touch display, vibrant color even in bright sunlight and weeks of reading under typical usage.

The Hanvon C18 e-reader includes access to e-books, more than 100 Chinese newspapers and more than 300 magazines, 90 percent of which offer full-color digital editions. Additionally, the device features Hanvon's patented handwriting recognition technology - Hanvon Input.

Qualcomm acknowledged it can't yet produce mirasol displays in large quantities, a fact that limits the kind of partnerships it can enter. The company's mirasol display "fab" in Taiwan won't be ready until later this year. Once its production issues are resolved, Qualcomm plans to bring mirasol to its core markets, applied to phone and tablet displays.